


Shattered Memories

by EternallyProfound



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Inspired by Shadowhunters (TV), M/M, Shadowhunters AU Mondays
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-10
Updated: 2019-06-25
Packaged: 2020-04-24 08:14:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 8,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19169311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EternallyProfound/pseuds/EternallyProfound
Summary: Demon attacks in New York are on the rise, the Institute with Isabelle at its head quickly takes action with the help of Alec and Magnus but will the secrets surrounding the centre of the problem prove too overwhelming for them? Why is Clary's life in danger and will they be able to restore he memories?





	1. Chapter 1

Isabelle sighed to herself, her dark-brown eyes passing over the illuminated screens with rising irritation. Soft blue lights emitted from the various screens casting a mysterious light on her partner, Simon, who glanced at her sideways with worried eyes. The growing number of attacks in New York was entirely unprecedented and Alec, the high-inquisitor, was pressing for their institute to get to the root of the problem. The number of recorded mysterious deaths had already risen by six percent, causing panic in the mundane population and looked set to continue rising because of the masses of demons roaming around unchecked. The Institute was running at full capacity and raid teams came and left like clockwork to quell the rising demon population.

"Iz, Magnus is on his way. We should wait until he gets here. He'll be able to use his magic to trace the Drevak's back to their location of origin." Simon's smooth voice contaminated the air, quelling the roaring irritation within Isabelle for a few moments before it roared back to life.

"That still leaves the Ravener's to be dealt with. I'll dispatch a team under Jace's lead and I will lead a team myself to go deal with them. You, Simon, can wait here for Magnus and Meliorn. I'm sure the three of you will handle yourselves until we can catch up." Isabelle left no room for compromise, turning on her heel and promptly taking off the moment the phrase finished passing through her plump lips. She left Simon in the main room, standing stunned as usual and probably a little hurt, though she didn't let that fact affect her any. In truth, her relationship with Simon had been strained ever since the incident with Clary happened. Isabelle had retreated into her work climbing up the ranks and earning her place as head of the institute and despite Simon's efforts, getting a job within the institute to stay close and being his sweet usual self Isabelle found she could hardly look at him the same way any more. Looking at Simon was like staring at a glaring reminder of Clary's absence and it tore a huge chasm between them. The entire ordeal had left Isabelle feeling as though life itself had become lacklustre and no matter how she had tried to make things work in Clary's absence it all still felt so wrong.

The distant sounds of Jace's practised footwork drove Isabelle forward, and she pushed her thoughts to the back of her mind to prepare for the battle to come. A few moments later she came upon the ornate framework of the training room, she strode confidently into the room and watched as her brother danced through the air twirling a carbon-fibre rod with practised ease.

"I hope you aren't too tired, Jace. The hunt is on." Isabelle quirked her eyebrow upward as Jace turned to face her, his golden eyes shining yet overwhelmingly empty. At first, Jace hadn't taken well to Clary's absence. He had spent nights in the institute she was initially kept in just watching from behind his glamour and then when she had been released and finally got her own apartment he had been there every night watching over her. It had taken months for Simon to finally convince him he was going too far and only a month and a half ago Jace had stopped visiting Clary all together. He was irritable and horrible to everyone for a good while, almost as if going through withdrawals, but in the last week Isabelle had seen some improvements despite the lack of emotion he had been displaying.

"Sounds good, I've been needing a good hunt. Where to?"

"I'll text you the details, just assemble a team of ten men and get suited up. You'll have your directions by then don't worry." A soft smile crept onto Isabelle's face and she reached out to pat one of Jace's covered shoulders. "Have you thought any about that break I suggested the other day?"

"I have, actually... Maia asked me a while ago if I'd be interested in accompanying her to visit her parents, she's been reconnecting with them... I thought it might be a good idea, it's coming up for the anniversary of Jordan's death and I want to be there for her. We really clicked before so I dunno, maybe we'll hit it off." By the end of Jace's response life had begun to bleed back into the depths of his eyes and the corner of his mouth turned up in a small smile.

"That sounds like it'll be good for you, I'm glad. We should split up and get ready to head out but I'll catch up with you later okay? I know I've been kind of busy the past few weeks but I promise we'll have time for a drink after." She flashed a toothy grin at her brother before bouncing off towards the door, ready to arm herself to the teeth for the battle to come.

"Kind of busy!? I hope you're making time for Simon!!" Jace called out, his tone joking. Isabelle looked back over her shoulder and stuck her tongue out but didn't offer a verbal response, opting instead to head to the weapons room to ensure her favourite blades would be accompanying her on the mission to come.

It was silent and empty in the weapons room when she arrived, just the way she liked it, and she moved to grab the twin kindjals from the compartment they were stored in. They had belonged to Clary and Isabelle went out of her way to carry them with her whenever she could. The memories of the demons Clary had slain in front of her with them provided fuel for her motivation, burning brightly within her. They gave her every ounce of confidence she needed and those along with her whip and detainment cuffs were all she needed. She stopped after to send a message out for her team to gather on the western outskirts of Manhattan and waited a few minutes afterwards for the first confirmation responses to come in. With half an hour to reach her destination, Isabelle retrieved her pocket mirror and fixed her hair before grabbing one last seraph dagger and some flash bombs to stow away, just to be safe.

* * *

 

The dank musty smell of the sewers invaded Isabelle's nose causing a deep burn to pervade her sinuses. She crept forward, leading her two subordinates onward as they closed in on a small pack of raveners. They had been in the midst of attacking a group of teenage mundanes who had evidently been prowling the dark and mostly empty streets as a gang of some sorts. It appeared that the boys hadn't been the Ravener's intended target, Isabelle had managed to dispatch one of them rather quickly and the others had retreated moments later with Isabelle hot on their trail. Sensing danger the pack had lunged for the sewers in an attempt to lose the shadowhunters tailing them. She and her companions followed the Ravener's as they wove and wound through the tunnels of the sewers, they were coming down a long straight patch when the scuttling sounds suddenly cut off to the left.

With a Kindjal in either hand, Isabelle crouched down and began to make her way through a small opening in the damp, mossy wall of the sewer, motioning the others to follow her. Ahead of her, Isabelle could hear the Ravener's bug-like legs clicking against the floor as they tried to navigate the sewer. It sounded like they finally hit a dead end or at least an area that was difficult for them to navigate. Sensing their opportunity Isabelle motioned for her companions to attack on her signal.

She grabbed a flash bomb from her utility belt and pulled the pin before launching it into the next room. With her eyes squeezed tightly shut she then threw herself forward and to the left as light exploded into the room. Using her enhanced hearing she located the nearest Ravener and launched at it, opening her eyes as she plunged the lighter blade into the demons eye. She landed gracefully on the creatures back and propelled herself forward as it exploded into black dust, readjusting mid-air to land on another Ravener which had managed to find a new crack in the wall of the sewer to squeeze through. She raised the longer blade up high and brought it down swiftly, burying the blade all the way to the hilt in the back of the creatures head. Pain encased her left ribs as she felt teeth beginning to break through her leather armour, she tried for a few seconds to pry the creature from the side of her body. When the Ravener refused to give Isabelle sliced at the things head with her kindjal, sending squirts of ichor spraying out around her. After emitting a horrifying screech the Ravener exploded into dust, within moments Isabelle drew her stele from her pocket and applied her Iratze rune sighing in relief when the pain in her ribs backed off.

"That's the last of them, Miss Lightwood."

"Alright, you two meet up with the rest of the team and see if they need any help. I'm going to collect Jace and head to where Magnus and Simon are." Isabelle watched for a moment as her two companions applied Iratze runes to heal their lesser wounds before they all exited the location. She took a moment to quickly scrawl out a fire message to Magnus before checking Jace's location on her phone.

Making her way to Jace was relatively easy with the aid of runes and by the time she found her way to the sweating blonde haired boy Magnus was already there and appeared to be tending to a more serious wound for the reckless shadowhunter. They were off to the side in a dimly lit alleyway which was littered with trash bags and random garbage piled up beside full trash cans. Isabelle said nothing as she approached, turning her nose up at the smell wafting around her.

"Thank goodness you have me, I swear the lot of you would be dead seven times over by now if you didn't." Magnus drawling, flourishing his hands as he finished up with Jace. "I honestly don't know what Alec was hoping for here, but it's definitely worse than we thought. We had an encounter that was, well, jarring. To say the least. Alec, Simon, Meliorn and Lorenzo are waiting at your apartment, Isabelle. I let myself in, of course."

"Did you manage to find the source of the demons?" Isabelle asked, looking at the flustered warlock with confusion.

"As I said, it's worse than we thought. Complicated too. We shouldn't discuss it here." Without waiting for a response Magnus turned away and began to summon a portal for them. Isabelle glanced to the left, meeting eyes with Jace who just shrugged as if to say 'I don't know any more than you'. A moment later a large rainbow oval of swirling covers appeared before them and Magnus motioned for them to pass through. Isabelle waited a moment for Jace to disappear through its rippling surface before following. She felt sick for a few minutes after stepping through and it took a minute for her modestly decorated living room to come into focus.

"Izzy! It's been too long!" Alec exclaimed, crushing Isabelle against his muscly chest in a bear hug.

"Alec I saw you a week and a half ago, it hasn't been that long at all. I missed you too though." She smiled up at her brother and reached up to run a hand through his messy brown hair. "I see Magnus still hasn't gotten you onto the trend of styling your hair."

"No, I haven't had any luck on that front, unfortunately, sweet-pea, soon though!" Magnus commented with a wide smile, lighting up the room as he appeared. He plopped himself down in the empty leather arm-chair that sat beside the fire and crossed his legs before surveying the room. Isabelle followed his line of gaze to the empty cups littering the table and watched with amusement as he clicked his fingers, immediately filling them with hot coffee's.

Isabelle grabbed her favourite purple cup and crossed the room to sit on the love-sat beside Simon. He sat stiffly with his back pressed firmly against the cushions, though he turned to flash an awkward smile as Isabelle positioned herself beside him. Isabelle offered a small smile in return, noting that Meliorn had opted to linger by the door beside them. Lorenzo and Jace occupied the three seater opposite them and Alec perched himself on the arm of the chair that Magnus occupied, with his arm strewn around his lover's shoulders.

"Now that everyone is together, what did you guys find?" Isabelle asked, eyeing Meliorn with mild contempt as he shuffled from foot to foot nervously by the door. "Meliorn you can sit down you know."

There was a pause as the Seelie nodded sharply and shuffled across the room before plopping himself down between Jace and Lorenzo, nervousness still showing in his movements.

"Before anything I need Jace to promise me something," Alec said seriously, his ice blue eyes pinned on his brother.

"Of course, Alec. Anything."

"Because what we are about to talk about involves Clary I need you to promise me you will refrain from involving yourself in this." Alec steeled his gaze as Jace face changed to shock and confusion. His golden eyes darted back and forth as he considered the possibilities, then he squeezed them shut before letting out a large breath of air and nodding.

"Okay, I promise Alec. I want to know what's going on though."

"I know, I understand that. Anyway, I accompanied Magnus and Meliorn here to the institute where we met up with Simon. We set out shortly after and it wasn't long before Magnus found a viable trail for us to follow. There is a large apartment complex deep in Manhattan that's currently under construction, we quickly determined that the Drevak's are origination from that location and decided to infiltrate and see who or what is summoning them." Alec shifted his gaze to the side, passing the conversation to Magnus with a simple look.

Magnus rose to his feet and using magic he created a 3D visual blueprint in front of them. The complex was large, having twenty-five to thirty floors and a large pool and smaller parking complex joined onto it.

"The Drevak's are mostly occupying the car park area, as you can see there are four floors that are visible above ground but there are also a further four basement floors, I suspect they are coming from one of the bottom floors." He added the basement parking levels to his visual blueprint before enlarging the image and focusing on the complex. "What troubled us was what we saw when scouting out the complex itself. I brought along a powerful glamouring potion and we managed to sneak inside, we were only able to infiltrate the reception area and well. What we saw there is hard to explain."

"What do you mean, just use words," Jace commented helpfully, leaning forward to grab himself a coffee from the table.

"There were versions of ourselves there." Meliorn sighed, finally throwing himself back in an attempt to get comfortable on the foreign leather couch.

"What?" Isabelle asked, unsure if she had heard the Seelie correctly.

"There we saw myself, Simon and Magnus." Meliorn clarified, opting to join Jace in grabbing a cup of coffee. "They were alternate versions of us that have seen far different lives to the ones we have lived in this reality."

"You're pulling my leg, really? Alternate versions of us?" Jace huffed, rolling his eyes at the confused Seelie, who in turn shrugged.

"We all saw them. It was really unsettling to know that Magnus and Simon were beside me but also right in front of me at the same time. It's not unusual to see people who look the same but their aura's felt the same. It was very creepy." Lorenzo noted his brilliant purple blazer sparkling along with the vibrant blue cocktail he had clasped in his hand. A shadow passed over his face as he mulled it all over and Isabelle shot him a sympathetic look.

"It's also really unsettling to just randomly see yourself," Simon added. Isabelle finally took a moment to look at him, his eyes seemed more gaunt than usual and it was apparent in his features that he would need to drink blood soon. Isabelle gave him a worried look and placed a hand on his knee, offering a small smile to the dejected vampire. It wasn't much, and he probably wanted more, but it was all Isabelle had to offer for the moment.

"Okay." Isabelle started, re-aligning herself with the conversation after her brief distraction. "So you infiltrated the bottom floor and saw a parallel version of Magnus, Simon and Meliorn. Did you manage to gather any intel before determining that you couldn't go any further without blowing cover?"

"It's hard to say what their endgame is but they made it very clear that one of their objectives is to detain Clary alive. Other than that there was no mention of who their leader might be or why they are here to begin with, but they definitely want Clary. For now, we have to go on the assumption that they are a threat, we've managed to bug the bottom floor of the complex hopefully we'll be able to gather some intel as people come and go from the building. Isabelle I need you to bring Clary in, we need to keep her safe and we're best suited to do that at the institute, so I'm hereby revoking the order that prohibits you from contacting her."

Isabelle looked away from Simon's confused questioning gaze at Alec's last comment, at the time she hadn't felt that Simon necessarily needed to know about Alec's imposed rules, she hadn't wanted him to know that Jace wasn't the only one that visited their beloved red-haired friend for the first few weeks. His gaze made it apparent that it was a big thing, and they would be having a conversation about it later but Isabelle pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind, as she always did. "No problem Alec, now or first thing in the morning?"

"Morning is only three hours away, so I don't see why you can't get a little rest first."

"I'm supposed to be heading out with Maia tomorrow," Jace said, panic colouring his gravely tone. "Maybe I should cancel and be there..."

"No Jace." Isabelle cut him off before he could finish his sentence. "You sounded so happy to go earlier and Clary will be perfectly safe with me in the institute. I promise. Besides, until we gather more intel we won't be able to do any kind of raid on the complex. Our hands are tied, all we can do is play defence."

"Izzy's right Jace, you should still go. We'll keep you updated with anything that happens. I'm planning on staying in New York with Magnus until we get to the bottom of what's going on here. For now, we'll mostly be listening anyway. Since Isabelle is going to be looking after Clary the rest of us will take shifts listening in through the bug.

"Alright, well if that's all I should get back to the institute and start packing up, Maia wanted to meet me in an hour and a half."

"I should also be leaving, for now, things in the Seelie realm are still being worked through and will no doubt require my attention."

"Ah what a coincidence I think I need to get going too, I'll make a portal for everyone then. Feel free to contact me when you require my assistance again Mister Lightwood." Lorenzo smiled, over at Alec after summoning a portal for the other's to use. Meliorn disappeared first, followed shortly by Jace who flashed everyone a small smile before stepping through. "Goodnight everyone," Lorenzo said before he too vanished into the portal, which then phased out of existence.

Isabelle stretched and yawned, eyeing the clock above the fireplace. She still had over two hours to take a nap and feeling the heaviness of her eyes and the growing sluggishness of her body Isabelle knew that rest would be necessary for her to function properly in her next task. Thinking about retrieving Clary from her life to bring her back into the shadow world had excitement bubbling in every cell of Isabelle's body. She hadn't excited by a mission this much in over a year and she desperately hoped that all would go well over the next few hours.

"Alright Izzy, Magnus and I are going to the institute to get everything set up properly on that end, Simon we'll give you a call in a couple of hours for your shift." Alec gave them a tired smile while Magnus once again conjured a portal for them.

"Do get some rest Isabelle, you look like you need it," Magnus commented offhandedly, flashing a small smile before grasping Alec's hand and pulling him through the waiting portal.

"Agh! I wish he wasn't so right." Simon sighed, briefly flitting through to the kitchen to retrieve some blood.

"What do you mean?"

"You need to rest. There's a lot we need to talk about, but that's probably going to be hard at least for the next day." Simon paused to run a hand through his perfect brown hair. "It's okay, I'm going to head over to my apartment for a little while. Text or call if you need me?"

"Yeah, I will. I'm sorry Simon, we'll talk soon." Isabelle offered an apologetic smile as the awkward vampire made his way over to the front door.

"It's fine Izzy, get some rest." She could hear the sadness lacing his voice, knew that the conversation to come wouldn't be easy for either of them but still she pushed those thoughts to the back of her mind. She waited for the 'click' of the latch on the front door as it shut before making her way to her bedroom. After removing her tough armour and underclothes she cut the light off and cocooned herself in her cotton-clad duvet and fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

"Hello?" Isabelle groused, irritated at being awoken by a call so early in the morning.

"Izzy, it's Alec. Simon said you haven't really slept recently, and it worried me that you might wake up late. You have an important mission, it should be carried out in a timely manner." Alec said pointedly. She could hear Magnus giggle in the background at his husband's tone.

"I know, I'm sorry. What time is it? Also, wouldn't it make more sense for us to bring Clary to a neutral location before thrusting her in the deep end with the shadow-world? We've modernised the institute and... What if we overload her..." Isabelle trailed off, her black, pointed nails plucking at the stray strands around the edge of her duvet.

"It's nine AM and I suppose you have a point there." Alec agreed, his voice softening a little. "Maybe you should bring her over to your house, I'll send Magnus over and let the two of you explain first. Magnus can put upwards to keep you all safe, so, it sounds like a decent compromise to me."

"All right, damn it. She'll be in her first class by now, I'll head out and catch her while she's travelling to the studio... Thanks, Alec! Talk to you later." Isabelle hung up the phone rather abruptly with a click and tossed it down on the bed. She then darted across her plush purple carpet to retrieve a set of clothes from her dresser, caring little about whether they matched and dashed into her ensuite for a quick shower.

Isabelle usually spent abnormal amounts of time in the shower, relishing in the warmth. Today, however, she was filled with a furious excitement that coloured her entire being and served as the force to drive her onward. When she finished rinsing the thick lather from her body and hair she clumsily threw the ornate metal handle into the 'off' position before stepping out to towel off. She took more time and care while drying her body, then slipping into her outfit for the day; a slim fit, light blue pair of jeans accompanied by a dark tank top, she took off towards the bedroom once again.

She re-obtained her phone from the bed and looked at the notifications as she made her way to the kitchen, there was an unread text from Simon, after a moment of pause while she readied her porridge and slid it into the microwave she then typed in her unlock pin and read the message.

' Izzy, I'm worried if we put off talking, things could become awkward between us, promise we'll make time to talk soon? '

Refusing to address the issue even in her mind for the moment she responded with a quick, "we will don't worry" before stowing the phone in her jeans pocket.

She ate her breakfast quickly, despite how hot it was, and opted out of checking for Simon's response. Thinking of talking to Simon reminded her of Alec's comment, and she idly wondered what else the dark-haired vampire had shared with her brother. It was true, she hadn't slept well recently, but she knew Alec would misconstrue everything and pin the blame on her work hours, which was only true in part. The real reason was, when she lay in bed at night she had copious amounts of time to wonder how life could've been different, how Clary was doing and if she was coping. Those thoughts alone had kept her awake for many hours.

She stepped through the door to the hall, leaving her bowl on the table to clean up later and slipped her favourite leather jacket from its hook. Isabelle slid her arms easily into the sleeves and adjusted the jacket around her shoulders before zipping it up. She plucked her keys from the bamboo bowl sitting atop the corner unit and stepped out into the hallway, locking the door behind her.

A peculiar feeling came over Isabelle as she descended the three flights to the foyer. It was a feeling tied undoubtedly to nervousness, and it caused the dark-haired girl to chew anxiously at the inside of her cheek. She looked around to assure herself she was alone, then slid her stele gracefully from its holster and applied a glamour rune. She didn't really want the local mundanes looking at her, but she also wanted to hide from Clary for a little while. After all, leaving a little early gave Isabelle time to observe Clary's life, if only for a short while.

The short walk to the Brooklyn Academy of Art passed by quickly and Isabelle found herself marvelling at the structure beneath the gentle morning sun. She knew that Clary would emerge through the front doors in the next fifteen minutes. She would likely head across the street to her favourite coffee shop before strolling towards her art studio only a few blocks away. Isabelle made it her duty to aid Clary in any way necessary, in the beginning, the red-haired girl had been quite the mess, ending up in a rehabilitation centre that set her on a course of strong medications to 'subdue' the effects of her mental scarring. She'd secured a quaint apartment and private art studio for her to work in, and helped her gain entry to the Brooklyn Academy of Art. To Isabelle, it was her job. Ensuring the safety and comfort of the kindest and bravest person she had ever known. Alec knew and though he disapproved with the lengths she had gone to, he couldn't say no to Isabelle at least helping to an extent. He'd imposed a ban on Isabelle coming into contact with Clary after she settled in, Isabelle was unhappy but had accepted her brother's reasoning. At the time Clary was showing promising signs of moving forward, and Alec hadn't seen why it would be necessary for them to keep watching over her so closely.

A curtain of wavy, luscious red-haired passed by and Isabelle instinctively turned on her heel to follow as Clary quickly made her way toward the crossing lights. Her sudden appearance had taken the dark-haired Shadowhunter by surprise but she quickly caught up to the antsy art student. Isabelle stood to the side and observed Clary as they waited for the lights to change. She was wearing a thick, dark woollen coat over a pair of blue jeans that had seen far better days. Isabelle smiled to herself noting the various colours of paint splashes that littered her jeans. Clary also had a large black rucksack slung lazily over her shoulder. Her red hair was dishevelled and looked as if it needed a good brushing.

Clary looked to the side, in the direction that Isabelle was standing in and furrowed her brows intently for a moment. It seemed as if she was staring directly at Isabelle's face and startled, the dark-haired girl stepped back slightly. The movement abruptly ended the strange encounter and Clary turned around to cross the road like nothing ever happened, assuming the same nervous pace as before. Isabelle took off after her, her mind whirring frantically as it tried to process the encounter. Confusion plastered Isabelle's features as she needlessly weaved in and out of pedestrians meandering aimlessly along the path. It was easy to tail Clary, despite the numerous people around. Her vibrant hair stood as a beacon to guide Isabelle and only when Clary disappeared into a nearby shop did she lose the red-head momentarily, easily spotting her moments later ordering coffee from a stout, cheerful looking barista.

Not taking any chances, Isabelle tucked herself in a small alcove beside the door in order to have a clear view of her target. She waited nervously for several minutes before Clary re-emerged from the shop. Isabelle watched as she looked all around her, green eyes passing over the dark-haired girl's hiding place. She took off moments later, moving faster than before and Isabelle clambered to follow her. Isabelle was almost positive Clary was onto her, she needed to catch up quickly, act fast and complete her mission. She tried to focus solely on catching up to the red-haired girl, deciding to worry about what she would say later.

Isabelle gave chase to Clary past several sets of lights, the cold grey walkway whizzed by beneath her pounding feet as their pace quickened. Clary threw a look over her shoulder, her green eyes connected with Isabelle's own, driving her to move faster, to propel herself forward with as much force as she had. Clary abruptly cut to the right down a side alley, disappearing from Isabelle's field of view momentarily as she skidded to turn down the same path.

Isabelle skidded to a halt beside a grubby-looking skip and peered down the alleyway. It was dark and winding, the air around her felt heavy, straining her lungs. She slid her stele from its holster quickly, applying a Nyx rune as well as a few combat runes. She had the sneaking suspicion that they had stumbled into an area of demon activity. A sense of foreboding hung over Isabelle and as her vision adjusted, she became more aware of her surroundings. The walls had dark, ominous stains, cardboard takeaway boxes with leftover food that gave sustenance to thousands of wriggling maggots littered the walkway. Isabelle shuddered and readied her electrum whip in her hand. She began to push ahead, ignoring the slight squelching of her sneakers against the unidentifiable goop that layered the ground.

A blood-curdling scream rang out, reverberating against the walls violently. Isabelle flinched at the sound but began to sprint towards it anyway. She followed the strange alleyway for what seemed like forever. The scream died out as she drew closer but Isabelle could still hear ominous sounds that guided her forward. She made her way through a narrow opening at the alleyways' end and found herself in a small den of sorts. The walls appeared to be fashioned from bones and the smell of rotting flesh pervaded the air, burning Isabelle's nose. She gagged as her eyes passed over a pile of half-eaten corpses varying in age that took up a far corner of the den and she stepped forward into the room, her eyes scanning frantically for a sign of Clary. She quietly walked around a large centre-piece in the middle of the room that appeared to be some kind of alter and moved towards the far corner. She could see a heaped figure hidden there, unmoving.

Sweating profusely, Isabelle crept closer and closer until finally, a shock of red hair became visible. Isabelle leapt forward and pulled Clary's limp form close to her, pressing two fingers against a blood-soaked neck firmly. She let out a breath of relief at the faint pulse her fingers picked up and scrambled to send a message to Magnus. She gave directions as best she could in her short message, the demon that attacked Clary had a powerful presence, she felt confident he would make it to them promptly. Isabelle stowed her phone away quickly and hoisted Clary up onto her left shoulder. With her whip readied in her free hand, Isabelle began to retrace her steps across the disgusting floor. She could hear a crackling and popping sound as she neared the door, prompting her to speed up as much as possible.

Isabelle crouched down by the small gap in the wall and began to set Clary down on the other side. Another ear-piercing scream rang out from behind her, startling her. Before Isabelle could turn to face the creature, it plucked her from the ground and threw her unceremoniously at the den wall. She could feel foreign and familiar bones crack under the weight of her impact. The wind rushed from her lungs and she dropped to the floor spluttering and heaving as she struggled to right herself.   
When she looked up a hideous creature consumed her vision. Its head was huge, with giant insectoid eyes and a crimson feeding tube drooping beneath them. Its body was giant and armoured with countless spindly appendages tipped with razor-sharp talons. It reared its ugly head and let out another startlingly human-like scream. It charged towards her, its sharp talons grinding against the bone floor like a mechanical harvesting tool. Isabelle threw herself to the side, gripping her whip tightly in her right arm. As the beast collided with the wall Isabelle jumped up onto its back, hissing as large spikes drove into her thighs and stomach. She threw her whip around the creatures ugly head and pulled it as tight against the demon's head as she could. The electrum seared through the beast's flesh and severed its head, sending ichor spraying out in a graceful arc and leaving the body to disintegrate into a black powder. Isabelle fell to the floor of the den with a thud, groaning at the pain.

"Dear god Isabelle, what happened to you!?"

Isabelle gave a sigh of relief hearing Magnus's dulcet tone calling out from nearby. She hoisted herself up onto her feet and dusted off as best as possible before applying an Iratze for the less serious injuries.

"Oh, you know. Demons, fighting. All that stuff." Isabelle winced and grasped her side. Her ribs and lungs burned and she had a feeling she would need more extensive medical treatment soon. "I'll catch you up... when we get home... okay?"

"What happened to you, did you puncture a lung?" Magnus joked though he eyed Isabelle's ribs suspiciously. "Will you be alright to travel by portal? I can escort Clary through."

Isabelle nodded in lieu of responding and Magnus smiled softly before conjuring a portal before them. She watched as Magnus gathered up Clary's damaged body carefully in his arms then, once ready, Isabelle stepped through the portal and into her living room. She stumbled as she landed on the other side and crumpled onto the loveseat. A moment later Magnus appeared with Clary. He set her down gently and set to work on her immediately, his large tanned hands glowing bright blue as he repaired all of her damaged cells. Isabelle watched as Clary's pale face began to fill out with colour once again. It was a relief to see that Magnus wasn't having any issues mending her ailments.

"Is Clary going to be okay then?" Isabelle asked, searing pain in her ribs becoming unbearable.

"Yes, she'll be fine. She had a laceration across her left shoulder and a cracked skull but we've been lucky, damage control has been fairly easy."

"That's good to hear. I honestly don't know what happened... I had a glamour on but she could see me anyway. She ran away and disappeared down that alleyway... then everything got real weird."

"There was an external force controlling the illusion, a significantly powerful one as well. There was an altar in the centre, it's quite possible that was a warlock's den and what we, or rather you, encountered was his guard dog. So to speak."

"I guess that makes sense. Ugh. I'll have to discuss what happened today with Alec. He won't be happy, but I want a team sent out to explore the den."

"No he won't, but he'll forgive you. It's Alec. Speaking of Alec, he asked me to motivate you to call him when you returned. I'll patch you up first though, I doubt Clary will return the land of consciousness at any point in the near future. She suffered an incredible concussion."

"I guess the demon grabbed her when she ran down the alley, we won't know how much she remembers until she wakes up though. I'm worried this will make connecting with her difficult, she was having some mental-health issues before..."

"I know sweet-pea, but for what it's worth, mundanes have some medications that can help, she was taking steps to move on. I know it might be difficult for a while, but I also know how much you care for her. She'll be just fine with you looking out for her. And everyone else for that matter." Magnus smiled and moved to kneel beside the couch. His bright blue blazer sparkled and shimmered, much like his dyed hair. His yellow eyes were soft, and he prodded Isabelle's ribs gently, a small frown appearing on his youthful face. "That demon did a number on you. Do you know what it was?"

"I don't know. It blindsided me after I found Clary and launched me at the wall. It looked like it had reinforced hide, super powerful, big ugly mosquito head." Isabelle gestured to her head and mimicked its feeder tube with her fingers.

"That sounds just lovely. I'm glad you won out over-all, you should have been wearing your armour though. That's a topic Alec will probably raise." Magnus waved his hands as if cradling an orb, a soft blue light developed in his palms and he lay them over Isabelle's ribs and stomach. "These punctures, it had spikes along its back? It looks as if they laced with venom, if you apply an anti-venom rune it will help the process along."

Isabelle nodded in understanding and retrieved her stele from its holster. Her stele tracing the rune on her flesh was like a hot iron dragging against her skin and she winced at the pain, tightening her fist until her nails dug into her palms. That pain mixed with the sensation of her skin knitting back together had waves of nausea rolling over Isabelle. She gritted her teeth and little conversation passed between the two as Magnus slowly worked through the worst of her injuries.

After a while, the damaged skin visible through the various tears in her clothing faded to angry pink circles and lines. Isabelle allowed her finger-tips to pass over each one, carefully grazing the skin with the promise to wear each scar as a reminder of her and Clary's encounter.

"You aren't feeling self-conscious about them, are you?" Magnus asked gently, eyes flashing curiously as he gauged Isabelle's response.

A giggle erupted from Isabelle's chest and she rolled her dark-eyes at her fatherly companion. "They're a reminder to wear my armour, that's the only sour note. Otherwise, I will wear them with pride, I earned them defending Clary after all." Brown eyes flitted over to Clary's serene form and a gentle smile claimed Isabelle's features as she gazed at her sleeping friend.

"I see," Magnus smirked and seemed as if he wanted to peruse the conversation, he giggled to himself and waved a hand in Isabelle's general direction, apparently having reconsidered. "You should call Alec, let him know what's happened."

"Okay, Magnus, can I ask a favour first?" Isabelle smiled sweetly, playing with a strand of her long dark hair.

"What do you want?" Magnus retorted, feigning irritation.

"Any chance you could whip me up a magic coffee before I go?"

"I suppose, but you'll owe me something." Magnus's eyes shone wickedly but Isabelle just rolled her eyes in response.

"That's fine."

With a smirk plastered on his face and a flourish of his wrist, a steaming hot cappuccino appeared in Isabelle's awaiting hand. She breathed in deeply, enjoying the scent of rich, flavorful coffee. She took a sip, scalding the tip of her tongue slightly. The sweetness of the cocoa powder dusted on top offset the slight acidity of the coffee creating a wonderful flavour blend in her mouth.

"Thanks, you know I love a hot cappuccino. I feel like I deserve after that nightmare, anyway." Isabelle wrinkled her nose at the memory of trudging through the alleyway and the hideous creature she'd encountered. "Come through and tell me if Clary wakes up, I'll just be in the kitchen."

Isabelle passed through the open door to the hall and then into the kitchen. She took the bowl and spoon she'd left at the table and dumped them in the sink to wash later, then seated herself in one of the high-backed light-brown wooden chairs. She produced her phone and unlocked it easily. Isabelle located Alec's contact and tapped the green call button before pressing the phone to her ear. She listened to the dial tone for a few rings before a click sounded over the line and Alec's gravely voice entered her hearing space.

"What's up, Izzy?"

"Hello big brother, I was just calling to let you know Clary is at my apartment now." Isabelle started, choosing her approach carefully.

"Great, how's she taking the news?"

"To be honest, she hasn't heard the news yet. I approached her with a glamour thinking she couldn't see me when evidently that was not the case. I startled her, chased her for a long time and then we encountered a strong demon. Clary got injured before I could catch up to her, I checked her for a pulse and sent a text to Magnus asking for help. I encountered the demon that attacked her shortly after and was wounded pretty good but dispatched the beast before Magnus arrived. Clary's been unconscious since, but her injuries seem to have healed nicely."

"What about your injuries? Did your armour protect you at all?" Alec's questioning tone was laced with an icy seriousness and Isabelle shrunk down in her chair, a crimson blush rising to her cheeks.

"I may have gone without my armour on." Isabelle squeezed her eyes shut at Alec's sharp inhale.

"Isabelle. We're going to talk about this later, I promise you that. Unfortunately, I'm dealing with Jace at the moment so that can wait." Alec sounded incredibly irritated and Isabelle wasn't exactly happy hearing that Jace had opted out of leaving with Maia.

"Ugh. Well if you want to make him useful I'll text you den's location and you can send him with a team to check it out. We came across a weird layer, the walls were made out of bones and there was an altar in the centre of the room that's where the demon was. Magnus is sure that a powerful warlock is involved, it's probably related to what you saw yesterday."

"I don't know, we haven't heard anything of use yet. They may be onto us, or it may be because we've only bugged the first floor. I'll dispatch Jace and get back to you when he returns. I need to go. I'll talk to you later." He hung up the phone abruptly with a click, leaving Isabelle alone with her thoughts. With Jace around life would undoubtedly be more difficult, especially with Clary being around. She hoped to have a break from his angsty demeanour but apparently her luck had run dry.

"Did I just hear that Jace is still here? That boy will be the death of me. As if the next few days aren't going to be difficult enough." Magnus sauntered into the kitchen, his lips quirking up in irritation.

"Yes, you heard right. I feel bad for Maia, being stood up by him again."

"I'm sure she's used to it by now, Jace isn't exactly a romantic guy. I'm surprised Alec didn't still seize the opportunity to lecture you, Jace must be acting like quite the handful." Magnus chortled and snapped his fingers in the direction of the sink. That tap burst to life gently spraying hot water over the dish and few spoons that occupied the sink. Dish soap levitated into the air and tipped to the side dripping a splodge onto the small pink sponge that floated atop the gathering water. Isabelle and Magnus watched with mild amusement as the sponge began to dance around the sink, cleaning dishes and throwing foam in every direction as it did so.

"Sometimes I wish I could use magic, this is way more fun than washing dishes by hand." Isabelle mused, resting her cheek upon her hand as the freshly cleaned cutlery showered themselves beneath the faucet and flung themselves onto the draining board with a little too much enthusiasm.

"This always makes Alec laugh," Magnus noted, a warm smile blossoming on his face. "He's always so serious in his daily life but when it comes to things like this, he's very easily amused. Such child-like amazement, he's the picture of innocence."

Isabelle scoffed at Magnus's musings but opted not to say anything. It was nice to hear his loving comments; it reminded Isabelle of how pure their love for each other was, and how happy Magnus made Alec.

"Anyway, I came through to let you know Clary has been showing some signs of waking up. I'm pleasantly surprised honestly that she's recovering so fast, I thought I'd come through and collect you so we can both be present she wakes up."

Isabelle gave a curt nod and followed Magnus back through to the lounge. Clary lay curled up on the brown suede love seat with a blue, white and red tartan blanket tucked carefully around her. Long lashes framed sleeping eyes and the paleness of her cheeks was offset by the vibrant locks of hair that framed her face. Isabelle moved across the room and carefully positioned herself on the empty seat beside her friend. She retrieved the television remote from the long black coffee table and pressed the small red button, causing the TV to spring to life. Making sure the volume was reasonably low, Isabelle switched over to the news and tossed the remote back on the table.

"How long do you think it will be before we can re-introduce Clary to Simon?" Isabelle questioned, her eyes scanning the scrolling text below the mundane weather man dominated the television.

"It's tough to say. I think it's positive that she saw through your glamour, regardless of the outcome. That means the sight has just been dormant within her, it's possible her memories are too-" Magnus stopped talking abruptly, his perfectly groomed eyebrows raised high on his forehead. His shining yellow eyes pinned on the now wriggling form beside Isabelle.

Two long arms popped out from beneath the blanket as Clary stretched and wriggling out from beneath it, bleary-eyed with a puzzled expression. She rubbed her eyes several times, head whipping around in every direction as she attempted to pinpoint where exactly she was.

"You!? You were following me. Where have you taken me? Where am I!?" Clary's green eyes bored into Isabelle's own dark orbs and for a moment she became lost for words. The panic written in Clary's speech and body language threw Isabelle completely off, leaving her to open and close her mouth silently like a fish.

"Clarissa, biscuit. Please calm down for a moment, we'll explain everything to you." Magnus offered, slowly raising to stand beside the bewildered girl he reached out to pat her shoulder reassuringly, a gentle smile adorning his face.

"Magnus?" The question came out quietly and Clary's voice wavered as she spoke. She looked directly into the shocked warlock's face and shrunk back down onto the love-seat suddenly looking drained.

"You remember me?" Magnus whispered, his bottom lip trembling from the severity of his emotions. Clary looked up once again with confusion etched into her features. She ran a slender hand through her long red hair and let out a sigh before burying her face in her hands.

"This is a dream," Clary stated as if it had become a frequent mantra she used. She kept her face buried in her hands and repeated the phrase again, slowly curling into herself.

Isabelle shared a look with Magnus, tears pooling in her eyes, shimmering back and forth as they threatened to roll down her face.

"Clary, this isn't a dream..." Isabelle said quietly, mentally restraining herself from reaching out to comfort her confused friend.

After a moment, Clary lowered her hands. Her shoulders trembled as she turned around to once again face Isabelle. There were tears in her eyes and Isabelle could see an array of emotions hidden in Clary's forest green irises. There was a moment of confusion and then recognition dawned across her features and she allowed a small smile to form.

"Clary, you know who I am right? Where do you remember me from, what dreams have I appeared in?" Magnus questioned gently, moving forward to perch on the edge of the coffee table.

"I have these dreams almost every night, where I'm in a strange world with wonderful people and everything feels right... They're not usually like this though, this is strange even for me..." Clary looked away, her bottom lip tucked firmly between her teeth. When she turned back a look of determination painted her face. She took one shaking, slender hand and reached out very slowly to place it on Magnus's cheek. He smiled at the contact and Isabelle watched on with intense curiosity as Clary processed the situation. "You are real, aren't you?"

Magnus chuckled, causing small blue crackles of magic to dance across his well-groomed beard. Clary grinned and watched with amazement. "You could say that, yes. May I ask what you know about me?"

"Well, you're magical... You've lived longer than your facial features imply... and your name is Magnus? I know I've heard so much about you before in my dreams... the problem is, it doesn't matter how hard I try to remember I just can't." Clary slumped back against the suede back of the couch, her shoulders slack. She rolled her head to the side in order to analyze Isabelle for a moment, her slim fingers playing with the corner of her discarded blanket. "Did you find that.. thing?" The question came out as a whisper almost too quiet for Isabelle to hear, but she knew instantly what Clary was referring to and nodded gently.

"I disposed of it, yes." Isabelle flashed a nervous smile, showing off her pearly white teeth. A volley of emotions warred within her, fighting for control and she struggled to suppress the intensity of them.

"Oh, okay... Um. Since I've answered your questions will you tell me where I am and why I'm here? I was supposed to attend an open gallery today..."

"Clary, the reason we've brought you here is that your life is in danger. Our world is home to many creatures and demons who view you as valuable. Our job is to keep you safe, in a secure location." Isabelle looked to Magnus, unsure of how much information to unload on their nervous companion. "Normally our two worlds coexist with little mingling but you have the sight to see the shadow-world, which means inevitably you will become a part of it. We're better suited to protect you here for now, anyway."

Clary remained silent for a moment, conflicting emotions passing over her features one after the other as she considered all of her options. In the end, she shrugged slightly and made herself comfortable, wrapping the discarded blanket around herself once again. "Well, if you're going to keep me captive, you could at least feed me."


End file.
